1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to plastic bags of the type used in grocery stores and the like to contain food items such as produce and more particularly to a dispenser for such bags that includes an integral pouch.
2. Description of Prior Art Including Information Disclosed under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98.
Bags for containing food products, such as produce, have been known and widely used in grocery and other stores for many years. Such bags are commonly made of two sheets of thin, flexible plastic material, such as polyethylene or polypropylene, heat sealed together at the bottom and the side edges. An opening at the top of the bag permits produce to be introduced into the bag.
The bags are either supplied in rolls, with the bags connected to each other end to end across a line of perforations, or in side-by-side relation attached to an elongated plastic header by a perforated section. The perforations allow easy removal of the bags from the roll or header by customers. The customers place the produce they wish to purchase in the removed bag for weighing by the cashier and transport from the store. After insertion of the product into the bag, the top of the bag may be closed with a twist tie or similar fastening device, or may simply be knotted to close the bag.
The problem often encountered with this type of bag is that customers often remove more bags than they need and will then discard the unwanted bags. The unwanted bags commonly end upon on the floor of the produce department and therefore cannot be used. It is estimated that 10% to 15% of all grocery bags dispensed in this fashion are unused and discarded in this manner. Although the individual bags themselves are quite inexpensive, the number of bags sold is very high and the cost of the unusable bags to the store owner is substantial. Further, the unwanted bags on the store floor are unsightly and create a safety hazard for customers. A great deal of the time and effort is required to continually remove the unwanted bags from the floor, creating an additional expense for the store owner.
It is therefore a prime object of the present invention to provide a bag dispenser with an integral pouch that substantially reduces the number of unused bags.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a bag dispenser with an integral pouch that substantially reduces the number of bags that end up on the floor of the store.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a bag dispenser with an integral pouch that is capable of displaying graphic and/or text material for decorative or promotional purposes.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a bag dispenser with an integral pouch that is simple in structure, inexpensive to produce and easy for a customer to use.